RE: To Not Be From Where You're From: Perspectives from the 2nd Generation (Part 1)
I think location in the US matters a lot in relation to issues like this. I grew up with a lot of Korean friends, did martial arts almost all of my childhood, and work as a software developer in an extremely diverse city and I have never heard a single one of those terms.
The only stereotypes I have seen or had friends/coworkers complain about are "you must know karate" and mixing up specific ethnicities thinking most people of Asian decent are Chinese. This however could be because Atlanta has always had a large immigrant population that integrates to a high degree and that the multitude of Korean churches in the suburbs are some of the most helpful groups in the community and are thus looked at in a very positive light.
One of the splits my old boss discussed was that "traditional" families often lived in the suburbs, and that because he had married a white woman that he wasn't largely accepted outside of living in the city itself where that is far more common. You can see this among other nationalities as well. The people of all races who wish to have a homogeneous community tend to migrate to the suburbs and find an area specific to them, while everyone who lives in the city are largely mixed in and don't follow those same patterns. Having spent most of my life in the suburbs and the last few years in the city, it was an interesting shift to see.
Thank you for this insight! And for engaging me on this topic. I'm guessing you grew up in a Korean family?
I'll clarify, the terms I listed are much more prevalent when internationals (students or workers) meet people who grew up abroad. And I also didn't want to highlight them in negative or stereotypical terms, but as cultural signifiers of how people even within an "ethnic group" distinguish sub-groups in our history. The focus of this and the next few articles will be how that manifests when one comes to study in the US for example or when "2nd gen" like myself visit or work in Korea. I'm definitely interested in the regional differences as well. I understand the New York/Northeast, LA, and Germany-based communities quite a bit more than places like Atlanta.
I think this is a period where new generations of ethnic immigrants are becoming more vocal, aware, and studious on their experiences growing up in a different country other than their parents. I didn't have that much an opportunity to meet many other Korean-Americans growing up, mostly international students in college/graduate school, but I wanted to stir up that conversation here!
Nope, I'm middle class white suburban male.
The sub-groups thing is one I've heard from a bunch of people.
Hahaa even more appreciated!